Technical Trades Work and Learning Program for Employers

The Challenge: Build Pipeline of Skilled Technical Workers

Clean energy and water innovation employers need a talented pool of young workers with technical backgrounds and hands-on experience.

About the Technical Trades Work and Learning Program

The Technical Trades Work and Learning Program enhances the talent pipeline for Massachusetts clean energy companies by placing skilled students from vocational high schools, After Dark programs and CTI programs in paid clean energy work experiences during the academic year and into the following summer. Employers select eligible interns and MassCEC reimburses their wages. Additionally, employers may have access to co-op coordinators to assist with intern recruitment.

The Technical Trades program empowers clean energy employers to mentor students from diverse backgrounds, addressing the need for greater diversity in our clean energy workforce. 

Jump to Online Workforce Portal

 

Open
Award Potential

$8,640 per intern

Questions? Contact

Program Schedule

The Technical Trades Work and Learning Program operates on an annual schedule tied to the academic year. 

Funding is allocated on a first-come/first-served basis until it runs out.

2024 - 2025 Schedule

Process Step

Timing

Open enrollment and intern selection begins

October 28, 2024

Submission of offer letters

Ongoing

2024 - 2025 session starts

October 28, 2024

2024 - 2025 session ends

August 21, 2025

Who's Eligible

Employers must be clean energy and water innovation companies registered to do business in Massachusetts, with at least one office located in the Commonwealth.

For the purposes of this program, MassCEC defines a “clean energy employer” as “an employer engaged in whole or in part in goods and services, or advanced and applied technologies that significantly reduce or eliminate the use of energy from non-renewable sources, including, but not limited to: energy efficiency; demand response; energy conservation and those technologies powered in whole or in part by the sun, wind, water, biomass, alcohol, wood, fuel cells, any renewable, non-depletable or recyclable fuel.” Note that participating students must be rising seniors in good standing at a vocational or technical high school in Massachusetts or be participating in an After Dark program or a CTI program.

For full Program details, please refer to the Technical Trades Program Manual.  

Not an employer? Go to Technical Trades Student Info  

Apply

Instructions

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Create an employer account in the MassCEC Workforce Portal here.

  • Fill out the company submission.
  • Await approval of your account from MassCEC.
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Identify candidates.

  • Access the student dashboard to review candidates and/or connect with Vocational High School Co-Op Coordinators in your area to identify candidates.
  • If you know candidates who are not yet in the student database, ask them to submit intern applications hereEvery candidate must have a profile on the internship portal to participate in the program.
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Check candidate eligibility.

  • On the Internship Portal’s student dashboard, click on “eligibility check” for the student(s) you'd like to hire.
  • Once MassCEC has confirmed eligibility, you will receive an automated email letting you know that the intern has been approved and prompting you to submit a signed offer letter.
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Submit co-signed offer letter.

  • Provide your selected student with an offer letter that, at a minimum, states their name, the job title, expected date range to be worked, and hourly wage. 
  • Obtain signatures on the offer letter.  For vocational and After Dark students, they will need the signature of their co-op coordinator on the offer letter.  CTI students do not need a coordinator to sign.  Any student who is under 18 and does not have access to a coordinator will need a parent or guardian signature.
  • Submit the co-signed offer letter to internships@masscec.com to reserve funding.  After funding has been reserved for the intern, you will receive an email confirmation.

Reimbursement

  • Sign and return your award letter.

  • After completion of the internship, submit your Reimbursement Package to internships@masscec.com. You must submit your fully completed reimbursement package before the session deadline. 

Application Materials

FAQs

What are the eligibility requirements for organizations to participate in the program?
  • Be an eligible clean energy employer. For the purposes of this program, MassCEC defines a clean energy employer as “an employer engaged in whole or in part in goods and services, or advanced and applied technologies that significantly reduce or eliminate the use of energy from non-renewable sources, including, but not limited to: energy efficiency; demand response; energy conservation and those technologies powered in whole or in part by the sun, wind, water, biomass, alcohol, wood, fuel cells, any renewable, non-depletable, or recyclable fuel.” MassCEC in its sole discretion makes the determination of whether an employer is a clean energy employer. 
  • Be registered to do business in Massachusetts. If you are unsure if your business is registered to do business in Massachusetts, please consult the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Corporate Database at the Commonwealth’s Corporations Division. 
  • Provide a meaningful internship (as defined in the General Terms and Conditions). 
  • Provide adequate proof that your organization is able to pay your intern(s) and all expenses associated with their employment.  
  • Successfully demonstrate that your organization has a physical presence in Massachusetts. 
  • Not be an academic or government entity.  
  • Be in good standing with MassCEC. The Host Employer must have submitted all paperwork relating to any prior internship completed, including the mandatory final survey, which must have been received and approved by MassCEC. 
How much may I pay my intern?

Host Employers may pay their intern(s) more than the subsidy rate ($15 per hour), however, MassCEC will only reimburse up to the full award amount. Host Employers may not pay an intern less than $15 per hour. Failure to pay the minimum amount may result in MassCEC denying a Host Employer’s reimbursement request. MassCEC will only reimburse a Host Employer up to its cap of $8,640 per intern.

How many interns may an organization employ?

Host Employers are allowed to select up to three interns.

Please note: Because funding for the Program is limited, awards will be made on a first-come, first-served basis, and you may receive fewer than three interns if funding is fully committed by the time we receive your offer letters for additional interns.

May I hire a relative?

Host Employers are not allowed to hire an intern who is the spouse, child, grandchild, sibling, niece, nephew, or spouse of a child, grandchild, sibling, niece, or nephew of ANY employee of the Host Employer. 

May we hire an intern from a previous session and be eligible for MassCEC reimbursement?

No, an intern will not be able to participate with you through the Program if they have already done so. The Program is designed to enable high school seniors, After Dark and CTI students the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in the clean energy sector. Once they complete the session, they are no longer eligible to participate.

NOTE: Current or very recent employees are not eligible to participate with you as an intern under the Program unless they have been working for the Host Employer less than six weeks leading up to successful completion of their eligibility check.

My intern left mid-internship. May I hire someone else?

If a hired intern terminates employment during the internship, MassCEC may at its discretion allow a Host Employer to hire an additional intern to take their place and use up the remaining funding allocated to their previous intern. Please be aware that any new student selected must first be approved as eligible by MassCEC and the Host Employer would then need to submit a signed offer letter for that individual before MassCEC could issue a final approval. In order to hire a new student, the Host Employer must contact and work through a Co-op Coordinator.

Partner Schools and Programs

Use this map to explore programs near your company. Please note that only "Chapter 74" program students are approved to participate in MassCEC's Technical Trades Work and Learning Program.
 

Additional Funding Opportunities